Steam-generator.



G. E. WARREN.

STEAM GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-1.1913

Ll5@,5?9 v PatentedSept. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET onnrbn GEORGE E. WARREN, OF SWAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

STEAM-GENERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

Application filed December 1, 1913. Serial No. 803,956.

To all whom it-may' concern: i

Be it known thatI, GEORGE E. WARREN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at- Swampscott, in the county of Essex and State'ofMassachusetts, have. invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam- Generators; and I do hereby declare the following'to be a full, clear, and exact descrip-.

tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to steam gener-- ators.

' The primary object of the invention is to In the drawings illustrating a steam gen-.

erator. embodying the invention in its preferred form, Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the generator andFig. 2 is a view in sectional elevation of the generator taken substantially in the central plane thereof.

The steam generator illustrated in the drawings comprises a cylindrical hollow supporting stand indicated at 2, upon which is mounted a boiler 4 surrounded by asheetv metal casing 6. The steam from the boiler is conducted to any desired point by means of an outlet pipe 8 secured'to its end in the top of the boiler and the steam or water to which it may have condensed in circulating through the system is returned to the boiler by a return pipe 10 connected with the boiler by a horizontal pipe 12;

14 indicates a pipe connected with the top of the boiler upon the upper end of which is mounted a safety valve 16 and to which is connected an exhaust nozzle 18, the flow of air or steam through the nozzle being controlled by a valve operated by a hand wheel 20. A pipe 22 is connected with the pipe 12 and is provided with a funnel 24 through which water is introduced into the boiler, the funnel being covered by a stra1ner 26. The pipe 22 is opened and closed by avalve-operated' by a handwheel28. The burnerby which the boiler is heated 1s of the so-called wickless or blueflame type constructed for the use of kerosene'or any analogous liquid hydro carbon fuel.

Liquid fuels of this class have. the advantage that they are not liable to explode or take fire even when handled carelessly and when used in a burner of the above type produce a very hot and substantiall smoke= within less flame. This burner is locate the cylindrical supporting frame 2 beneath the boiler and comprises an annular fuel holder or trough 30 preferably constructed of sheet metal and made deeper at one side than at the other, as shown in Fig. 2. This trough is connected at its dee er side by means of a coupling 32, a flexibie pipe 34:, a second coupling 36 and a short pipe 38 with a liquid fuel reservoir 40 from which the liquid fuel is supplied to the burner. The reservoir i0 is supported upon brackets 42 secured to the side of the cylindrical sup-- porting frame 2.

It will be obvious that when the liquid fuel is introduced intothe reservoir 40 the level of the fuel in the fuel holder or trough 30 of the burner will be substantially the same as the level of the fuel in the reservoir. As is common in liquid fuel stoves employing wickless burners, the fuel in the reservoir is maintained at a constant level. In order to maintain this constant level of the liquid fuel in the reservoir, a tank 44 is supported above the reservoir 40 and is provided with a downwardly extending cylindrical nozzle 45 which projects through a circular opening in the upper wall or cover of the reservoir. The tank 44 is filled or zle; The tank 44 is provided with a valve 48 operated by a spring 50 to close the opening in the nozzle45 *when the tank is inverted preparatory to placing it in operating position with relation to the reservoir,

and prevent the liquid from flowing out of the nozzle. until the'tank isplaced in position. When the tank is placed in proper position on the reservoir, the valve is held open by contact of the valve stem'52 with the bottom of the reservoir. The pipe 38 is provided with a valve operated-by a thumb piece 54 by which the operator may cut off the flow of liquid from the reservoir to the burner.

. The burner is provided with a chimney which comprises inner and outer hollow perforated cylindrical sections 56 and 58 seated upon flanges on the trough 30 and an unperforated tapered section '60 secured at its upper end to the section 56 and closed at its lower-endby means of a plate 62, which is held in placeby means of a rod64 secured at its lower end to the plate 60 and at its upper end to a member'66 located at the upper end-of the section 56.

In burners of the type above describedthe size of the flame may be varied by varying the depth of the fuel in the burner. The level of the liquid in the burner is always the same as the level of the liquid in the reservoir 38, which is maintained constant in the manner above described. Inorder to vary the depth of the liquid in the burner, and thereby vary the size ofthe flame and the heattransmitted to the boiler, the burner is arrangedfor vertical movement with re-' lation to the reservoir. In the construction illustrated, the fuel trough is seated upon a supporting ring 68 formed upon the end of an arm of a lever 70 pivoted on a pin 72 carried by the bracket 74, and the fuel trough is raised and lowered by swinging the lever.

It is desirable in steam generators to maintain the steam in the boiler'at a substantially constant pressure and in the present embodiment of the invention. mechanism controlled by the pressure of steam in the boiler is provided which acts automatically to raise and lower the fuel holder of the burner to vary the depth of fuel in the fuelholder and thereby vary the size of the flame as the pressure of the steam in the boiler falls below or rises above a predetermined point. This mechanism comprises a rod 78 passing through a sleeve-'80 threaded into the bracket 74 and pivotally connected by means of a pin 76 with the other arm of the lever 70. The upper end of the rod 78 carries a cap 82 which engages the lower side of a diaphragm 84 clamped by means of screws 86- between annular flanges 88 and 90 formed respectively on the bracket 74 and-a pipe 92 connected with the pipe 12. The cap 82 at the upper end of the rod 78 is held in contact with the lower side of the diaphragm by means of a coiled spring 94 surrounding the rod and engaging at its extremities the cap 82 and a flange on the sleeve 80 respectively. The tension of this spring may be regulated by adjusting the sleeve 80. The diaphragm 84 forms a closure for a chamber 96 which opens into the pipe 12 and is connected by said pipe with the interior of the boiler. A pressure gage 97 connected with the pipe 12 is provided to indicate the pressure of the steam in the boiler.

In starting the generator, the operator first fills orpartially fills the tank 44 and inverts the tank and places it in operating position, as shown in Fig. 2, on the reservoir 38. The liquid fuel will then flow into the reservoir 40 until the height of the liquid in the reservoir is suflicient to cover the opening in the nozzle 46. The valve operatedby the thumb piece 54 is then opened to allow the liquid to flow through the series of pipes connecting the reservoir with the burner into the burner trough. Before the burner is lighted, since there is no pressure of steam against the upper surface of the diaphragm 84, the burner assumes its lowermost position. In order to regulate the depth of the liquid fuel in the trough so that it is at proper depth for starting the burner, the reservoir 40 is adjusted vertically to the desired height. To provide for this adjustment, the brackets 42 are provided with slots 98 and are secured to the cylindrical supporting frame 2 by means of screws 100 passing through the slots in the brackets 42 and screwed-to the frame 2. When the burner has been lighted and the steam generated in the boiler exceeds a predetermined pressure, the diaphragm 84 is depressed by the pressure of the steam in the boile and actuates the rod 78 and the lever 7 0'to raise the burner and thereby lower the level of the fuel in the trough 30 of the burner. This will result in a reduction of the size of the. flame with the con-- sequent diminution of the amount of heat transmitted to the boiler. When the pressure of the steam in the boiler falls below this predetermined point, the reduction in the pressure upon the upper face of the diaphragm 84 allows the rod 78 to rise under the action of the spring 94' and the arm of meaeva tension of the spring. With any given-adjustment of the tension of the spring, the

generator will operate to maintain the steam in the boiler at a substantially constant pressure determined by the tension of the spring without attention on the partof the operator. I Having explained the nature and objects a of the invention, and having specifically described a device embodying the same in its preferred form, what is claimed is 1. A steam generator, having in combination, a boiler, a burner comprising a vertically movable liquid fuel holder for heating the boiler, a liquid fuel reservoir connected with the fuel holder, means for maintaining a substantially constant level of liquid in the reservoir, and means controlled by the pressure of the steam in the steam chamber for raising and lowering the burner to vary the depth of fuel in the burner and thereby vary the size of the flame. I 2 A steam generator, having in combination, a boiler, a burner comprising a liquid fuel holder for heating the boiler, a liquid fuel reservoir connected with the fuel holder, means for maintaining the liquid fuel in the reservoir at a substantially constant level, and means controlled by the pressure of the steam in the boiler for relatively moving the fuel holder and reservoir to vary the depth of the fuel in the fuel holder and thereby vary the size of the flame.

3. A steam generator, having in combination, a boiler, a'burner comprising a liquid fuel holder for heating the boiler, a liquid fuel reservoir connected with the fuel holder and means controlled by the pressure of steam in the boiler for relatively moving the fuel holder and reservoir to vary the depth of the fuel in the fuel holder and thereby vary the size of the flame.

4. A steam generator, having in combination, a boiler, a burner comprising a liquid fuel holder for'heating the boiler, a liquid fuel reservoir connected with the burnerv and means acting automatically to move relatively the fuel holder and reservoir to vary the depth of liquid inthe fuel holder and thereby vary the size of the flame in accordance with variations in the pressure of the steam in the boiler. p

5. A steam generator, having in combination, a boiler, a .hurnercomprising a vertithe lever to raise and lower the fuel holder to vary the depth of fuel therein and thereby vary the size of the flame.

6. A steam generator, having in combination, a boiler, a liquid fuel burner comprising a fuel holder for heating the boiler, a

liquid fuel reservoir connected with the fuel" holder, a chamber connected with the boiler, a diaphragm closing the chamber and means operatively connected with the diaphragm for relatively moving the fuel holder and reservoir to vary the depth of fuel in the fuel holder and thereby vary the size of the flame in accordance with variations in the pressure of steam in the boiler.

7 A steam generator, having in combina tion, a boiler, a liquid fuel burner comprising a vertically movable fuel holder for heating the boiler, a liquid fuel reservoir connected with the fuel holder, a chamber connected with the boiler, a diaphragm clos ing the chamber, and operative connections between the burner and the diaphragm for moving the burner vertically from the. diaphragm to varythe depth of the fuel in the fuel holder and thereby vary the size of the flame in accordance with variations in the pressure of steam in the boiler.

8. A steam generator, having in combination, a boiler, a burner comprising a liquid fuel holder for heating the boiler, a liquid fuel reservoir connected with the fuel holder, a pivoted lever supporting the fuel holder, a chamber connected with the boiler, a dia-' phragm closing the chamber, and connections between the diaphragm and the lever for operating the lever from the diaphragm to raise and lower the fuel holder and to vary the depth of liquid in the fuel holder and thereby vary the size of the flame in accordance with variations in the pressure of the steam in the boiler.

9. A steam generator, having in combination, a boiler, a burner comprising a liquid fuel holder for heating the boiler, a liquid fuel reservoir connected with the fuel holder, means acting automatically to move relatively the fuel holder and reservoir to increase or decrease the depth of fuel in the fuel holder and thereby increase or decrease thesize of the flame as the pressure of steam in the boiler falls below or rises above a predetermined point, and provision for adjustment to vary this predetermined pres sure. I

10. A steam generator, having in combination, a boiler, a burner comprising a liquid fuel holder for heating the boiler, a liquid fuel reservoir connected with the fuel holder, a chamber connected with the boiler, a diaphragm closing the chamber, means operatively connected with the diaphragm for relatively moving the fuel holder and reservoir to increase or decrease the depth of fuel in the fuel holder and thereby increase or for adjusting the tension of the spring to decrease the size of the flame as the pressure varythe predetermined pressure. of the steam falls belowor rises above a pre- GEORGE E. WARREN. determined point comprising a spring acting Witnesses:

5 on the diaphragm in opposition to the pres- C. M. SINoERBEAUx,

sure'of the steam in the boiler and provision K. C. UNIAS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents,

- Washington, D. 0. 

